Anthony Nicodemo talks about his role in Pride of the Court held at Sarah Lawrence College.
John Meore/lohud

As they crossed paths and became friends in recent years, Jason Collins heard plenty from Anthony Nicodemo about his team. As anyone who knows the Saunders High School coach can attest, that hardly makes Collins unique.

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Saunders head basketball coach Anthony Nicodemo photographed in his classroom at The Reach Academy in West Harrison on Thursday, January 18, 2018. His team will be playing in Pride on the Court game at Sarah Lawrence College on Saturday.(Photo: John Meore/The Journal News)

"I've always heard stories about the team is and how good the team is," said Collins, a former All-American at Stanford who played 13 years in the NBA. "So I'm looking forward to seeing them."

Collins will have his chance Saturday when Saunders and Sarah Lawrence host the Nike-sponsored "Pride on the Court" doubleheader at the college. Sarah Lawrence will play Purchase College at 3 p.m., followed by Saunders and Somers High School at 5 p.m.

Collins, who, in 2014, became the first openly gay athlete to compete in one of the four major sports, will address athletes from the schools at a luncheon Friday.

"It's always fun when you're seeing the next generation," Collins said this week by phone. "I'll offer them some words of advice and inspiration. I'm there to do whatever I can and give support to Anthony and his team. Hopefully they get the win."

Former NBA player Jason Collins speaks during the 2016 Democratic National Convention at Wells Fargo Arena. Collins is the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of four major American sports.(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY)

On Saturday, Collins will serve as an honorary coach alongside Nicodemo, who came out in 2013 and has been a passionate advocate for LGBTQ rights since. He and Collins met during events at Nike's campus in Oregon and Collins agreed to participate in this week's event when Nicodemo and a Nike representative contacted him last year.

Nike has been an advocate for equality and inclusiveness in recent years, highlighted by its "Be True" campaign. Nicodemo said the company will provide players with T-shirts and socks and coaches with "Be True" polos.

There will also be other giveaways and added touches at Friday's luncheon, including a DJ, Zeke Thomas, the son of former NBA star Isiah Thomas. The younger Thomas will play music and handle announcements Saturday as well.

Nicodemo said the partnership with Sarah Lawrence was a natural fit.

"Sarah Lawrence is one of the most LGBT-supportive schools in the country," Nicodemo said. "I told them I've been talking about doing a game and I thought this would be the perfect place to host it."

The Saunders coach found another match in Somers. He reached out to the school based largely on longstanding friendships with athletic director Roman Catalino and coach Chris DiCintio.

"A big piece was getting a school and having an event and being comfortable with it," Nicodemo said. "Roman and Chris were extremely supportive when I came out and I wanted to involve someone who would get something out of it and appreciate being part of it."

The Saunders will enter the game 10-3 and as the top-ranked Class A team in Section 1. Somers, which is 7-3, was ranked fifth in lohud's most recent Class A rankings. They will follow Purchase (9-4) and Sarah Lawrence (3-13). Purchase won the first meeting Dec. 2, 80-72.

DiCintio said he expects the quality of the matchup against Saunders to draw a large crowd and help raise awareness.

"My kids are in full support of it, too," said DiCintio, who said several people close to his family are gay. "More importantly to me than having a talented team, I have a great group of young men who are very mature and very compassionate as a group. They're in full support of playing in the game. They're looking forward to the challenge."

Follow Josh Thomson on Twitter and Instagram at @lohudinsider.

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